Click here for final game stats from NFL.com.
I made two big mistakes in my Pick ‘Em contest today. The first one was listening to Hank Goldberg on ESPN and picking St. Louis over Atlanta. (Hank’s going to have one of those years, folks; avoid his picks like the plague.) The second one was going along with Paul and changing my pick for this game from Carolina to Kansas City. I chalked that up to a strategic move, though, since I didn’t want Paul to gain any points on me in case the Panthers lost.
That little voice in the back of my head, though, kept telling me that Panthers RB DeShaun Foster just might have a big day…
32 carries, 174 yards, 1 TD.
Indeed.
QB Jake Delhomme wasn’t perfect, but his improbable touchdown pass to Kris Mangum in the first quarter — a pass you’ll see replayed a lot this year — and his ability to spread the ball around to different receivers complemented Foster’s outstanding performance well.
The Carolina defense, dominated by Green Bay, also delivered today, holding Chiefs’ RB Priest Holmes to 82 total yards and keeping pressure on QB Trent Green. Julius Peppers led the way with two of the Panthers’ three sacks, one of which caused Green to fumble and forced a turnover.
It’s hard to say that a Week 2 game is a must-win for any team, but the Panthers needed this one, and they delivered. They have next week off, but the next three weeks are a murderer’s row — at home vs. Atlanta, at Denver and at Philadelphia. If they can go 2-1 in those games, they’ll be in excellent shape for the rest of the season.
Give DeShaun the game ball today, though. He stepped up his game in a big way. I should have had a little more faith in him in that Pick ‘Em contest…
1 response so far ↓
1 Anonymous // Sep 19, 2004 at 8:03 pm
Yeah, I give Carolina a lot of credit for this win. They could have taken it easy and pointed out that they weren’t healthy, but they were gutsy and pulled out a great win. I have some faith in them again, and look forward to their trying to contain Vick in two weeks.
I watched the Steelers game as well. Big Ben showed some promise. The next week should be big for Cowher.
Unfortunately, my Pick em week was horrid. Steelers. Browns. Texans. I also bit the bullet and tried St. Louis. Sigh.
Nothing was worse, though, than entering a survival Pick em contest with some friends. I picked the sure thing. Green Bay at home. Quickest ten dollars I’ve ever lost. From now on, I think, my gambling will be limited to poker. At least Favre won’t let me down there.
Paul, off to work on graduate homework